On February 17th, the winter Chamber Recital was held, in which talented Kent musicians performed pieces in the semi-formal recital hall setting. A total of 14 students performed solo pieces on their respective instruments. “These are high quality performances, since everyone here is dedicated to music and practices diligently,” commented Mrs Hobbs.

There was a great variety of instrumental performances, including the piano, viola, saxophone, clarinet, oboe and flute. There were also collaborations, like the woodwind trio and clarinet ensemble, that put in efforts to practice as a group in order to deliver a polished show.

Lucy Zhang ‘18, who has been participating in almost every recital since her freshmen year, commented that these recitals present a great opportunity to her to practice performing in front of a small audience, while appreciating different genres of music and instruments that other students bring to the recital. “It was interesting seeing the woodwind trio, as the three of them were playing in different keys and yet they went so well together. The seven clarinets playing all at once was also quite memorable.” Lucy played a classical Haydn piano sonata, which she noted was quite a challenge for her, as she was more accustomed to playing pieces from the romantic period. “Over time, I have learnt to overcome my stage nervousness, and now when make mistakes, I let go of them quickly and focus on being expressive,” she said.
When asked about what she would like to add to these recitals, Lucy commented that she would like to see more creative performances that can be enjoyed by larger audiences. “Right now most people who attend these recitals are involved in the music program. If we had the time to prepare more fun, collaborative performances, we could appeal to more student and teachers here at Kent.”